


crazy little thing called love

by skj



Series: live life through song [2]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Underage Drinking, Songfic, They're both nervous, hopper teaches el, nancy teaches mike, neither knows how to dance, no one calls her jane, she is el
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-24 15:36:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13216794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skj/pseuds/skj
Summary: "Mike couldn’t believe his luck as the girl standing in front of him was his date. His girlfriend."or;Mike and El go to prom but neither knows how to dance.





	crazy little thing called love

**Author's Note:**

> hi guys and thanks for reading! i really got carried away on this one, and while it's still a songfic, its on the longer side and it has a pretty big gaps at some parts between lyrics. there is a one-shot before this in the series, but you don't have to read it for this to make sense. hope you enjoy!

_This thing called love  
I just can’t handle it_

Mike sighed, dropping his arms. He stepped away from his sister, whom he towered over, and said, “It’s hopeless. I’m never gonna learn this in time. I have to pick her up in—” he glanced at his watch, “an hour,” he finished, looking up from his wrist. 

Nancy looked at him as he shuffled away. She grabbed his arm roughly, turned him around, and said, “You dipshit. You have an hour and all you have to learn is a couple steps!”

“Nance, look. I’m awful at this. It isn’t like the Snow Ball where people just awkwardly sway, this is prom. We’re juniors and people are gonna be serious, probably. And into it,” he said, blushing. “I don’t want her to think I’m lame or something.”

_I ain’t ready  
Crazy little thing called love_

Nancy rolled her eyes. “Are you kidding me? El loves you so much you probably hung the moon. Now get your ass in gear and learn this fucking dance.”

Mike, flustered, immediately stepped toward his sister. She only cursed like that when she was drunk or mad.

Nancy leaned toward the turntable and turned the knob to turn the music up.  
They held hands on one side and half-hugged on the other side. With every beat, their linked hands went up and down, and every two beats, they took a step in a random direction. Once Mike stopped stepping on her toes every other step, she declared him ready and sent him upstairs to get ready, which for him, meant combing his hair and brushing his teeth.

The Byers-Hopper house, however, was a different story.

Joyce and El bustled around the bathroom, trying to find different pieces of makeup and dodging the curling iron heating up on the small counter.

_This thing  
Called love_

“On your left,” Joyce said as she reached for the hairspray and comb next to El and she took the now-hot curler in her other hand.

El was doing her makeup (quite well, if she did say so herself. Nancy had taught her the basics and she had picked it up.) sitting up on the counter, her butt uncomfortably positioned inside the sink while Joyce was tugging at chunks of her hair, combing it, ironing it, and then curling it. El had always kept it short, collarbone length at its longest, so it made the curling efforts slightly more difficult.

They had realized too late the time and were hustling to get everything done before Mike came to pick El up. As El swiped the last of her mascara on, she gasped and almost dropped the wand in her hand.

Joyce yelped, “What? Did I burn you?”  
El shook her head.

Joyce, irritated, demanded, “What is it then?”

“I don’t know how to dance.”

_It cries  
In a cradle all night_

Joyce let out a sigh of relief at hearing that El wasn’t hurt, but then bit her lip and furrowed her eyebrows together while coming up with a plan. After thinking for long enough to make El nervous again, she said, “Okay, look. You’re done, and I’m almost done, and after that I have to help Will. But I’m gonna get Jim on the radio and ask him to come home so he can teach you a few steps, okay?”

El nodded, clearly not pleased with the solution. Hop would probably teach her to dance with room for the Bible, the Holy Spirit, and the Twelve Apostles between her and Mike. And that was not what she wanted.

Joyce left the bathroom and walked over to where they kept the radio that connected to Hopper’s car. El heard her a say a few words and then a staticky response came from the other end. The conversation went on for a few more seconds and then Joyce set the receiver back on the stand. She walked over and smiled at El. “He’s about 10 minutes out. I’ll just do the finishing touches on your hair and then he can take over.”

El gulped nervously. Hopper had always been protective of her when it came to relationships, and while he didn’t not like Mike, he wasn’t exactly warm around him either. This would probably be pretty awkward for them both.

Around ten minutes later, the crunching sound of tires on gravel made El’s heartrate speed up to twice its normal speed. Joyce, obviously sensing her trepidation, leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Sweetie, you’d be surprised how good he can be in these situations. I promise, you’ll be fine.”

Hopper walked into the already cramped bathroom and kissed Joyce on the cheek as a greeting. His gaze shifted onto El through the mirror and he gave a soft smile.

“Oh, sweetie, you look gorgeous. It’s gonna be perfect,” he said.

_It swings  
It jives_

El nervously smiled back and replied, “It’s not gonna be perfect if you don’t show me how to dance, Dad.”

Hopper gasped and clapped his hands together. “That’s right!” He looked at Joyce. “Is she done?” When Joyce nodded, he stepped out of the bathroom to give El room to jump off the counter and into the hallway. Joyce unplugged the curler and the flat iron, bustling around cleaning everything up off the counter. The other two migrated into the living room, where they had plenty of space for the 17-year-old to learn to slow dance just two hours from her junior prom. Great. Both of them felt the urgency of the situation, though, and went into go mode.

_It shakes all over like a jellyfish_

Hopper led her, showing her the simple steps of a high school level slow dance. There wasn’t much to it, but, to be honest, El had two left feet. She wasn’t clumsy in everyday life, but she could not manage a two-step to save her life. At the end of an hour though, she had it down pat.

“The Wheeler kid’s gonna be here in about half an hour. Why don’t you go put your dress on and then we can practice some more so you know what to expect. Sound good?” Hopper asked.

El nodded and gave her dad a smile before giving him an aggressive hug. He stumbled a bit on the spot, but he recovered quickly and stroked her back.

“Thank you,” El said, face squished against his chest.

“Hey, no problem, kid. You’re gonna knock ‘em out of the park. Go get ready.”

El went into her room almost as nervous as she had left it; the dancing was done, sure, but her dress was another deal altogether. She bought it a month ago, and who knows? She could have gained weight, lost weight, it could have gotten stained hanging in a bag in her closet somehow, it could have gotten eaten by moths…

Her fears quickly dissolved about 5 minutes later when she stood in her mirror examining herself. The dress was as new as the day she bought it, its pink hue making her skin glow and it sleeves and neckline complimenting her figure in just the way that would drive Mike crazy. She smiled at the thought.

El walked into the living room to display her completed look to her parents, who both went slack-jawed at the beauty in front of them. Joyce’s hands immediately clapped to her mouth and she rushed forward to marvel at the girl standing in the threshold. Her dress fell to her ankles, giving a slight peek at the black flats she chose (she loved the height difference between Mike and she). The dress was strapless with an asymmetrical sweetheart neckline that, according to the saleslady at the local department store, was very in. Overall, it wasn’t the “coolest” dress, but it was the one that El felt was most her.

“Oh, sweetie,” Joyce said, embracing her daughter and choking back tears. “You look so gorgeous.”

From the middle of the living room, Hopper piped up, “You’re gonna knock the kid outta the park.”

El and Hop met in the empty space in the room and began to dance to no music. When the imaginary song was over, Joyce spoke up, “Mike should be here any minute and you wanna make an entrance, honey. Go to your room and I’ll tell him you’re just putting on the finishing touches and then two minutes after you hear the doorbell, come out, but make it dramatic, okay? I’ll be filming. Jonathan finally taught me to use this thing,” she hoisted up the video camera that had been laying on the couch.

Hopper couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the complexity of this plan. He would never understand.

A grand total of 3 minutes later, El sat in her room on her bed, applying last minute lip stick and mascara when a knock on the front door sounded through the house. She hastily put the tubes of makeup down and started counting in her head. When she hit 120, she stood up with and sigh, smoothed out her dress, and opened the door. 

Walking down the hallway felt like a catwalk, like those models she sometimes saw on TV. She tried to be as graceful as possible while still walking as fast as she could. She stepped into the living room and fixed her gaze onto Mike’s face. When she saw his eyes glaze over and his mouth drop open, she knew she had done well, and she smiled softly.

_I kinda like it  
Crazy little thing called love_

Mike didn’t know how to feel. He had opened the door to an ecstatic Joyce and a very menacing Hopper and he wasn’t sure which one scared him more. After 2 minutes of nerve-wracking small talk, he heard footsteps coming from the hallway.

His breath just fell out of his body. It was not news to him that his girlfriend was beautiful, on the contrary, in fact, but she was dazzling that night. Her air was loosely curled around her thin face and she wore the perfect makeup that matched her dress. And her dress. Oh god. Her dress, Mike thought, would be his undoing. It was so flirty he couldn’t stand it. His eyes scanned over her entire body and he found himself stepping forward nearer her. He couldn’t believe his luck as the girl standing in front of him was his date. His girlfriend. He knew they were so young, so, so young, but he knew at that moment with the firmest resolve that he would never spend the rest of his life with anybody else. He suspected he had known this for a while, but right now it was so apparent, glaring him in the face, that it overwhelmed him.

He took her hand in his and pressed it to his mouth. At this point, Joyce snd Hopper had both conveniently gone back to the kitchen to look for something. Mike just looked into El’s eyes and said, “Wow. You look so gorgeous.”

El smiled bashfully and smoothed out his lapel. “You don’t look too bad yourself.”

Mike chucked at her. His face softened when they made eye contact and he brought his finger up to her chin, which he then tilted up to bring her lips to his.

The kiss was slow-moving, yet it carried so much emotion and passion that when they broke apart, they were both panting. They exchanged grins.

Then it was time for pictures. Joyce bustled in the room with the video camera on her shoulder, moving at all angles to capture every moment she could. Hopper tailed closely behind her snapping pictures of the cute couple.

Before they knew it, they were Mike’s station wagon driving to the venue. They hosted prom at the fancy hotel in the center of town, and a staggering amount of the teens managed to get a room for the night. The school pretended to not know, but in reality, they didn’t care. The chaperones even passed out condoms to the people dancing a little too passionately on the dance floor.

Mike returned his thoughts to the road and turned red at the thought. If they didn’t keep themselves under control, they might be one of the unlucky couples to receive a crinkly packet and stern look from one of the chaperones, and that would result in endless ridicule of the party. Speaking of which…

When Mike pulled into the parking lot for the Ritz Hawkins (that wasn’t the actual name of the hotel, just a nickname some juniors had coined back in the 70s) he immediately spotted Max’s blue Camaro that she had received when Billy got locked up. The rest of the party was standing around it, chatting and no doubt waiting for Mike and El to show before they all went inside. Mike pulled into the parking space next to Max’s car and got out. He received shouted greetings from his friends and nodded in return. His focus was elsewhere.

_There goes my baby  
She knows how to rock and roll_

Mike walked around to the passenger side of the car and opened the door for his date. She stepped it of the car so gracefully, so poised, it was straight out of a movie. When they walked around and met the eyes of the rest of the party, El got many whistles and shouts. 

“Lookin’ good, Hopper!”

“Wow, girl, you sure you’re here with Mike?”

“Damn, El!”

_She drives me crazy_

El grinned and blushed and made it the rest of the way over to her friends, taking time to hug everyone and mention how good they looked (“holy shit what happened to your hair?” to Dustin, who had gotten a rather drastic haircut that actually looked very good) because she was just El. 

The beginning of the whole dance was a blur of paying for tickets, a constant stream of girls asking to take pictures with El, too many guys checking her out, and someone spiking the punch bowl and getting caught. Legendary.

The party had all had some of the punch while it had been spiked. Not enough to get them drunk, not even tipsy, really, but enough for them to be a little more daring on the dance floor. Dustin bet Will that Lucas and Max would get a condom before El and Mike, but after the tequila in the punch bowl, he wasn’t so sure. Lucas and Max were getting handsy, all right, but El and Mike were looking at each other with such passion it was a surprise the air around them wasn’t burning.

_She gives me hot and cold fever  
She leaves me in a cool, cool sweat_

It continued that way for the first part of the dance, which was marked with the arrival of the first slow song. It was a new one that no one except the art kids who smoked during gym knew the name of. It was slow enough for everyone for stop grinding randomly and grab a partner, but it was just upbeat enough to not kill the mood. 

El and Mike found each other as they always did and both, though very nervous, held their own. Mike didn’t step on her toes, El didn’t bump into anyone from behind, and neither had sweaty hands. El just nestled her face into the top of Mike’s chest (height difference!) and swayed, just as Hopper had taught her. Mike held her and pressed kisses to the top of her head.

No one could deny they were the cutest couple on the floor. They looked into one another’s eyes so intimately, people found themselves feeling as though they were spying on a very private moment that was just meant for the two of them. Perhaps that’s why Mike received a tap on the shoulder from a chaperone. He looked at the middle-aged woman confusedly, raising his hands as if to say he had caused no trouble, when she reached out and placed something in his palm before quickly shuffling away.

It took both of them a grand total of 3 seconds to realize what she had given Mike, and about 2 seconds for them to burst into quiet giggles. Mike slipped the crinkly packet into his pocket before they resumed dancing, swaying to the beat as if it was just the two of them in the room. They weren’t, though, and in the corner of the room an exchange of ten dollars between a pleased Will and a disgruntled Dustin took place. 

When the song hit the chorus, which was slightly more upbeat, they both straightened up and added more complexity to the steps they were taking. Needless to say, they were both very impressed with themselves for remembering and with the other for knowing as well. 

The song ended and a new one began. Crazy Little Thing Called Love rang through the ballroom and people were pulling their best Footloose moves out. Mike and El both danced like their lives depended on it, wiggling feet and swaying hips and giggles and flushed faces. 

_There goes my baby  
She knows how to rock and roll_

El really couldn’t think of a better way to spend the night than like this, surrounded by her friends who cared for her and her boyfriend who loved her.

_Crazy little thing called love_

Mike couldn’t think of a better way to spend the night that like this, surrounded by his friends that had always been there for him and a girlfriend who always would be there for him.


End file.
